LONGMONT -- If there is one feature of Longmont that is visible to more people at one time than any other, it's the aircraft of Mile-Hi Skydiving.

The company's jump ships, as it refers to its three skydiving planes, are a common sight in the airspace over western Longmont. Its flagship -- its pride and joy, its symbolic heart -- is a custom-equipped de Havilland Twin Otter.

For many in Longmont, the plane is as familiar over their neighborhood as their letter carrier's truck is in their neighborhood. The plane also may be -- because of complaints over the noise its two propellers make -- the single most-discussed vehicle in the city.

Making It Work

As we turn our calendars from 2012 to 2013, the Times-Call takes a look at the people who make our community work, 365 days a year. Through Wednesday, read about the people whose names and faces might not have been familiar to you, even if the jobs they do are.

Today: Clayton Schultz, skydiving pilot

Wednesday: Sandy Lenhardt, lunch lady

Clayton Schultz is one of those fliers, and he's been doing it longer than most of his colleagues.

A friend who flew there helped him get a job at Mile-Hi when he was a young pilot working as a baggage handler at Denver International Airport. It was his first piloting job.

Now, at 40, his aviation career has progressed both in and out of the cockpit -- he now pilots a Pilatis PC-12 for a client through M&N Aviation, and he used to work as manager of ramp operations for Air Wisconsin Airlines -- but he has always maintained a relationship with Mile-Hi, where he's currently one of about half a dozen pilots. He enjoys the work and expresses great respect for Mile-Hi, which he says maintains high safety standards and an unwavering community-mindedness.

Planes have fascinated Schultz for as long as he can remember.

"I've never not wanted to fly," he said.

He began building model planes as a kid and entered his U-Control planes in 4-H competitions. He was named champion for two years, he said.

As a high school student in Fort Collins, he pumped fuel at the Fort Collins Downtown Airport to raise money for flight school. On the day he flew solo for he first time, his instructor hadn't told him in advance of the momentous occasion, but she called his parents, who surprised him at the airport when he landed.

He'll never forget his first sensation of being alone in the air, he said.

"I'm the only person who can make this happen or not," Schultz recalled thinking. "It's a super cool feeling."

He went on to earn a degree in aviation from what is now Metropolitan State University of Denver, and he continues to train for piloting various kinds of aircraft.

The Twin Otter is one of aviation's most reliable and versatile workhorses. Its high-lift wing makes it well suited for slow speeds and short runways, and it's relatively easy to control in turbulent weather. It can be equipped with skis or floats. It's a popular aircraft with bush pilots and in underdeveloped countries, and it's central to many skydiving operations.

"It's an awesome piece of machinery," Schultz said, adding that Mile-Hi has performed exhaustive renovations on its Twin Otter and subjects it to a rigorous maintenance regimen.

"For me, it's cool to see somebody else enjoy this," he said. "I love being at a job where people are really having fun and enjoying it."

He's aware of people on the ground, too. He thinks of them every day, as does everyone at Mile-Hi, he said. Company policies regulate aircraft power settings, flight profiles and other variables to lessen the impact of operations on the community, Schultz said.

"During all of our training, we discuss that," he said. "The general person doesn't realize how much of what we do is shaped by the community."

Schultz himself was reluctant at first to jump out of an airplane.

"It took them a couple of years to convince me," he said. "Then it took them another couple of years to convince me to do it again. ... It's a personal challenge for me to convince me it's a good idea."

Nevertheless, he now has 120 jumps to his credit.

Asked if he likes jumping now, Schultz said, "I enjoy it." He paused, then added, "I like flying the airplane."

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